Invercargill man Carl Heenan submitted his nomination on Monday, meaning the by-election to fill the void left by former deputy mayor Toni Biddle will now take place because there are two nominees.
David Pottinger, brother of Cr Ian Pottinger, has also put his name forward for the job.
Mr Heenan was a mayoral candidate against Mayor Sir Tim Shadbolt and country music entertainer Suzanne Prentice in the 2010 election but received only 669 votes.
In 2019, Mr Heenan petitioned government to have a reform of the honours system, wanting to increase the number of people who could be awarded New Year’s and Queen’s Birthday Honours as well as introduce a new Youth Honours category. His bid was unsuccessful.
Mr Heenan was unable to be contacted by the Otago Daily Times last night.
Yesterday, the council also announced the two governance appointees to support it addressing governance issues.
The appointees were Jeff Grant and Lindsay McKenzie.
ICC chief executive Clare Hadley confirmed last night candidates were identified and contacted based on required skill sets, previous experience and likely availability.
Thirteen applications were received and a panel which included Sir Tim, deputy mayor Nobby Clark and risk and assurance committee chairman Bruce Robertson then whittled the applicants down and presented the shortlist to council.
The council made its final decision on December 15, Mrs Hadley said.
Mr Grant was a former chairman of AgResearch and in 2018 was appointed by Beef + Lamb NZ and the Meat Industry Association to manage the sector’s response to Brexit.
He has held a range of chairmanships and directorships and was independent chairman of Southland Shared Services for eight years.
Mr McKenzie was former chief executive of Environment Southland and Gisborne and Tasman District Councils.
Mrs Hadley said there was a lot of work ahead to address the issues raised in the governance review and establish processes and practices to ensure council focused on leading the city and supporting growth.
"The experience the two appointees bring offers significant value to the council as we refocus and prepare for the future.
"We have been liaising closely with the Department of Internal Affairs since the issues were raised and we are confident in their support of this way forward."
Sir Tim said the council was committed to focusing on the future and working together to overcome previous obstacles.
"The important thing, now, is that we push ahead and achieve real progress on the major issues facing our city. The role of our appointees is to work with us to make that happen."
Mrs Hadley said the appointees would be accountable to the council.
